3/17/13

Saint Patricks Day, Oh Saint Patricks Day

Saint Patrick's Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick is a
religious and cultural holiday celebrated on the 17th of March named
after one of the most recognized patron saints of Ireland, Saint Patrick. It
was declared the official Christian feast day in the early 17th
century observed by the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion. The day
commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, it’s a holiday to
celebrate the Irish culture but in this modern era, it is an occasion to get belligerently hammered off of pints of bright green mudslides delivered to you by a waiter
in a button clad vest at your local TJ Flannigan’s while debating on ordering
one more order of loaded potato skins or making out with the nearest redhead due to your blurry beer goggles and infatuation with leprechauns and OF COURSE to perpetuate racial stereotypes.
I’m sure all of you remember how I celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day last year,
drinking Bacardi as orange as the locks of a leprechaun and blasting Drop Kick
Murphies, ending the night in the practice of Irish yoga.

But since traveling toIreland and being the worldly girl that you know me to be, I paused and thought
about the practice of celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day in America and what it really means.

Now many of you may know, I am Irish, just look at my name, and I recently visited
the motherland exploring all of the UK and really getting in touch with my heritage.
However I am from Hawaii, I was raised in an Asian pacific culture and while I
eat corned beef and cabbage once a year on this day, and I was just as bad as
the average American when it came to the true celebration of Saint Patrick’s
Day and what it means to be Irish on this day.

We dye ponds
green, and wear green apparel so we don’t get pinched; but what I’m wondering
is, will we ever be able to properly celebrate a culture on an international
holiday without perpetuating horrible stereotypes and using occasions just like
these to get belligerently schwasted? I’ve been to Ireland, there is many a
pub, and lots of Guinness on tap ready to be guzzled around. But there is so
much more to the culture and so much beauty in such a small place that I think
it is worth doing your research and celebrating properly. I went to the Guiness
Factory, and the Jameson Distillery, I went on a tour to Wicklow, I saw the
book of Kells and visited Trinity college, not to mention ate a ton of meat
pies and saw some live music, THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO AND TO CELEBRATE IRISH PEOPLE ARE AWESOME!

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t drink, the Irish love
their alcohol, go to a pub, have a pint, chortle with your mates, but maybe have
a moment to commemorate the Irish culture in a less obvious way. Ie, watch some fantastic Irish films, “The Secret of Roan Inish,” “My Left
Foot,” “Once” or “The Secret of Kells,” eat some boiled potatoes or maybe listen
to The Cranberries while dancing in circles and trying to yoodle like that
awesome lead singer "ZOOOOMBIE BIE BIE WATS IN YO HEAAAAAD". You don’t need to get shitfaced on every holiday; you don’t need to join the bandwagon by puking up your guts listening to House of Pain’s “Jump Around” on repeat. Throughout history white men
have been the oppressor but the interesting thing about Irish culture is that the Irish people were oppressed in America for a long time. Working as maids and
factory workers who sometimes weren’t allowed to even attend church on Sunday, we
have to remember that the Irish suffered a lot to live out the American dream
and its something so easily forgotten when talking of white privledge in this
modern era. We must not see Saint Patrick's Day as just another day to get drunk, but we should celebrate the Irish people for what they've accomplished so far, not only in our country but their lush history and visionary ideas when it comes to potato products. I think we owe it to them, not to diminish everything they've worked for and their cultural heritage means by objectify their culture with creatures like the Lucky Charms Leprechaun and shirts that say "Irish I was drunk."

5 comments:

Looks like a fun day :) I just came across your blog and I'm your newest follower :) Would you mind checking out our blog and (if you like) following back via GFC and Bloglovin'? Looking forward to your next post! XX

I think because the majority of Americans have never been to Ireland and never will go (or even know people who identify as Irish) and whilst companies make money from people getting horrifically drunk St Patrick's Day won't change.

Also a lot of people like to get drunk a lot more than they like learning about the history of the Irish. It's like meat. A lot of people don't want to know where the meat they buy comes from because they know it will make them think. The same for once religious holidays. A lot of non-religious people no longer know the meaning of the holidays and aren't interested in learning them. I mean thanks to high school people aren't really encouraged to see intelligence as cool are they? I think intelligence is sexy as hell but that's just me XD

Obviously if you're not religious you shouldn't be made to go to church but I don't see any harm in understanding the meaning behind a holiday. It's totally the same for Christmas and Easter. You don't have to be religious to appreiciate they are as much about being thankful for family and new life as they are about the Coke 'Holidays are Coming' advert and chocolate eggs but some people just honestly don't care. Sad but true.